Automobiles are/often damaged in parking lot situations, when the door of one automobile is opened and comes into contact with the side panel or door panel of an adjacent automobile. The damage can include scratches, dents, and chipped paint. Such damage will reduce the aesthetic appearance of the automobile and render it more vulnerable to corrosion, reducing its resale value. Damage to the exterior surface is expensive to repair and may even require repainting to fix properly.
The use of protector strips affixed to the side panels and door panels of an automobile is known. Such protective strips typically comprise a base with a resilient outer surface which projects slightly beyond the car body. This type of protector will prevent damage if the contact occurs against the protector, and is thus strategically positioned where another car's door is most likely to contact the side or door panel.
However, because the door protector strip increases the effective width of the car, the extent to which it can project beyond the car's door and side panels must necessarily be limited because it is permanently attached to the vehicle body, even when the car is in use. This commensurately reduces the chances that a neighbouring vehicle's car door will impact against the protective strip when it hits the side or door panel of the car.
It would accordingly be advantageous to provide a protective device for the side and door panels of an automobile which is removable, and therefore is used only when the vehicle is not in use. This would allow the protective device to project well beyond the side and door panels, to significantly improve the chances that a neighbouring vehicle's car door will impact against the protective strip.